Key ring and holder



L. E. POLHE'MUS.

KEY RING AND HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,1921.

Patented June 113, 1922.

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Uldlliliiltl STATES LOUIS EDWARD :EOLHEMUS, 0 MIAMI, ARIZONA.

KEY nine nun HOLDER.

1,419,4EQ8a Application filed July 12,

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, Louis E. POLHEMUS, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Miami, in the county of: Gila and State of Arizona, have invented a new and useful Key Ring and Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a key ring and holder whereby a bunch of keys can be fastened securely to. a garment, the garment engaging portion being so constructed that it will remain firmly attached to the garment as long as the key carrying ring is suspended therefrom.

A further object is to provide a ring of novel construction which is securely attached to its holding means in a simple and e'liicient manner, it being impossible for a key to become detached from the ring through inadvertence or by accident.

A further object is to provide a structure of this character which is simple, durable and efficient, compact in construction, and which can be applied readily to a garment.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof showing the garment clasp in one position.

Figure 3 is another side elevation showing the garment clasp in open position.

Figure 4 is a transverse section on line H, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a faceview of the key ring showing the cross portions interlocked.

Figure 6 is an edge view of the end portions of the key ring, the same being shown disengaged.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one end portion of the key ring.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a strip of spring metal bent to form a loop, the opposed arms of this loop converging towards the free ends thereof and one of said free ends being Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 484,180.

outturned to form a finger piece 2 while the other end of the loop is out-turned to form a jaw 3. The free transverse edge of the jaw 3 is toothed or serrated as shown at t and pressed inwardly from the strip 1 close to the outturned end 3 is a knob 5 extending partly across the throat between the two arms of the loop.

Oppositely extending lugs 6 are formed on the curved end portions or jaw 8 and extend into openings 4' formed in wings or flanges 8 provided at the sides of the hooked end 9 of a clamping lever 10. This lever has a long arm terminating in an outturned finger piece 11 and an offset portion 12 is provided on said arm adjacent the flanges 8 so as to form a shoulder 13.

The parts heretofore described are so proportioned that when the lever 10 is swung to the position shown in Figure 8 it can be inserted along the back face of a portion of a garment indicated at G, so that the toothed end 1 of the aw 3 will thus rest against the opposite face of the fabric. By then drawing the strip 1 and the lever 10 together, the toothedv end 41- ot the aw 3 will bite into the fabric and snap past the shoulder 13 until it comes to the position shown in Figure 2 whereupon the parts will be held securely to the fabric and cannot be removed there-from without swinging them apart and causing the jaw 3 again to snap past the shoulder 13.

The ring designed to hold the keys is of special construction and has been illustrated in detail in Figures 5, 6 and 7. This ring 14 has terminal arms 15 which are crossed, the meeting portions of the arms being formed with transverse grooves 16 so that said crossed portions can interlock or interfitand thus hold the ring against contraction or expansion as long as these parts are in interfitting relation. The arms 15 are hooked to provide fingers 17 extending toward each other and adapted, when the arms 15 are interlocked, to abut at their ends as shown in Figure 5. When the ends of the fingers 17 are thus in engagement they form a loop the greatest internal diameter of which is substantially equal to the width of the strip 1 so that when said strip is inserted through the loop thus provided the ring will be supported from the loop. It becomes impossible to open the ring as long as it is engaged with the strip 1 because to do so would necessitate moving the fingers 17 toward each other which, obviously, is

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impssible. Furthermore as the fingers 17 are seated in the loop and are placed in alignment end to end, the ring will hang flat and thus occupy but little space. As the crossed portions or arms of the ring interfit, the ring cannot be contracted for the purpose of spreading the ends of the lingers 17 apart. The only way in which a key can be placed on the ring is by lirst sliding the ring along the free end of the strip 1 so as to remove it completely from the strip, it being necessary during this operation to swing the finger 17 between the outturned end 2 of the strip 1 and the projection After the ring has been removed the end portions can be shifted laterally relative to each other so as to be moved out of intertit ing relation and a key can then be inserted on one of the fingers 1'? and slipped down onto the ring. Thereafter the ends of the ring can again be placed in interlocked re lation and the loop formed by the finger 17 can be placed over the outturned end 2 of the strip 1 and the ring moved down to the intermediate or supporting portion of the Strip 1.

l/V hat is claimed is l. The combination with a resilient loop having an outturned toothed jaw at one end, of a lever having a hooked end pivotally connected to the side portions of the jaw, a transverse shoulder upon said lever for momentary sliding engagement with the toothed end of the jaw during the movement of the lever to open or closed position relative to the loop, said loop being adapted to hold a key ring.

2. The combination with an elongated resilient loop having its terminals outturned to constitute a finger piece and a jaw respectively, of a lever having a hooked end slidably and pivotally connected to the jaw,

and a transverse shoulder upon said lever for sliding engagement with the aw during the movement of the lever to closed or open position relative to the loop, said loop being adapted to hold a key ring.

3. The combination with an elongated resilient loop having outturned terminals, one ojl' said terminals constituting a toothed jaw, ot' a lever having a hooked end straddling and pivotally connected to the aw, said lever being movable toward and away from the loop, a transverse shoulder upon the le ver tor momentary sliding engagei'nent with the jaw during the movement of the lever in either direction relative to the loop, one of the outturned ends of the loop constituting a stop for limiting the movement of the lever in one direction relative to the loop, said loop being adapted to hold a key ring.

l. The combination with a resilient loop having outturned terminals constituting a finger piece and a jaw respectively, of a lever having a hooked end straddling and pivotally connected to the jaw, said lever being movable toward and from the loop and cooperating with the jaw to form a clasp, a transvers shoulder upon the lever movable into momentary sliding engagement with the jaw during the movement ot the lever toward and from the loop, thevfinger piece upon the loop constituting a stop for limiting the movement of the lever in one direction, said loop being adapted to hold a key ring.

In testimony that I claim. the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. 

